BRUSSELS, July 18 – During the July 11 debate on Kosovo in the European Parliament, Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn insisted: “It is vital to get movement in the UN Security Council at this stage. The Security Council members need to carry their responsibility for resolving Kosovo’s status and set up a multilateral framework, giving the whole region a sustainable outcome,” according to the European Newsletter issued Wednesday.
Rehn said the three priorities were to settle Kosovo’s status “without unnecessary delay”, to preserve the essence of the settlement proposal made by UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari, and “to further support Kosovo’s European aspirations and progress towards the European Union.”
The Commissioner spoke of the dangers of “delaying the process for delay’s sake”, which was unlikely to achieve convergence among the diametrically opposed positions of the Serbs and Albanians, but which “could increase the risk of instability on the ground”.
He said it was important “to show the Kosovans that there is movement and that there will be a solution”, and he warned against an approach which would “allow the hard-liners to gain the upper hand”, because Europe, as well as the Balkans, would suffer the consequences.
Kosovo is a profoundly European matter, said Rehn, and neither Russia nor the United States is so directly affected by what happens in the Balkans. The Commissioner underlined that Kosovo’s status “should not be settled by unilateral declarations or unilateral veto threats, but by effective and responsible multilateralism”.
Days earlier, in a speech in Berlin, the Commissioner described the EU role in Kosovo as “a severe test of the EU’s capacity to deal with security challenges on its own continent, on its own front-yard and future home territory”. Europe’s stability is at stake, as well as EU credibility in foreign policy, he said.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also made a plea for progress when he came through Brussels on July 10. After meeting Javier Solana, EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, said that “any further delay or prolongation will not be beneficial, not only for the Balkan states but also for the European Union”.
At the same time, he asked the parties concerned not to take any premature unilateral action which may further complicate this already complicated issue. He spoke of the “fundamental importance” of the unity and leadership of the European Union.
Solana said the EU is prepared and ready to deploy a mission to Kosovo, “but we need a UN Security Council resolution”.
Kosovo’s President, Fatmir Sejdiu, and Prime Minister, Agim ȥku, were also in Brussels on July 11, and had meetings with President Barroso, Portugal’s Minister of Foreign Affairs LuAmado, and with HR/SG Solana.
Commission President Barroso stressed the strategic vision for the Western Balkans as a future part of the European Union and called on Kosovans to work in this spirit. He urged them to be patient and refrain from unilateral moves towards independence. He reiterated the Commission’s position that status should be agreed soon and that delay for delay’s sake was not acceptable. However, he cautioned not to set artificial deadlines.
The legitimacy of the eventual status was very important for Kosovo’s future. Kosovan leaders stressed their willingness to cooperate with the international community on status but insisted that Kosovo should not be held hostage to an open ended status process.
EU ambassadors examined on July 12 a proposal for a Council Joint Action extending the establishment of an EU team to prepare for a possible international civilian mission in Kosovo, including a European Union Special Representative component.
